BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — The premiere of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava on Sunday drew a full house and a standing ovation.
Shanshan Zhong, who attended the opening with her husband Peter Kothaj, is originally from Shanghai in China. She recognized the Spectacular’s authentic portrayal of Chinese culture.
“I am very proud because I am Chinese. It is showing our culture — the real culture from China, so I am very proud,” said Zhong.
“We liked it very much, it is colourful and nice. We were looking for it for two weeks already. Finally we came here and it is very impressive.”
Zhong especially enjoyed the story of Yue Fei, a legendary general from the Song Dynasty, renowned for his bravery and his loyalty to his country.
“Yue Fei…he is our national hero. I don’t think most foreigners know who he is. This show tells them who he is and why he is a hero.”
Zhong was also impressed with the costumes, all of which are originally designed and handmade.
“We have 56 different nations in china, and in this show I see different dress styles from different nations. So it is very exciting for me.”
Kothaj said the Spectacular had given him a “connection with China,” which he plans to visit in April. He said he particularly liked the Mongolian Bowl Dance and Nymphs of the Sea.
“I liked the drums,” said Zhong. “It shows, you know, the power. [The show] makes you like… this is our country and makes me so proud, deep in my heart”
Zhong added that the Spectacular portrays how “women are so soft in China, very gentile, and men are very powerful, they go to war and fight for their country.” After Bratislava, the Spectacular will carry on to Prague for more shows next week. A total of 35 shows will be seen in 14 European countries.
For information about upcoming Divine Performing Arts shows, please visit: www.DivinePerformingArts.org.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Chinese Spectacular. For our complete coverage please visit: http://en.epochtimes.com/features/dpa2008/
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